At Carrie's Place, we offer a variety of group and programs.
At Carrie's Place, we are dedicated to supporting our community through a variety of groups and programs. Our team works in collaboration with numerous community organisations to offer specialised support, education, and training sessions.
Our programs include workshops that increase awareness of the impacts of domestic violence and homelessness and further develop skills, knowledge and self-confidence to overcome barriers to maintaining healthy relationships and independence.
For any questions or to book a spot in one of our groups or programs, please contact us at groupprograms@carriesplace.org.au or call us on (02) 4934 2585.
Domestic Violence Programs
Shark Cage
This program focuses on empowering and healing women who have experienced sexual assault or family violence.
Shark Cage is an 8-week program for women and non-binary people who have experienced intimate
partner violence. However, the concepts discussed throughout the group can be applied to nonintimate relationships. This group assists participants to:
- Increase their knowledge of healthy and unhealthy relationships
- Understand their human rights
- Increase their capacity to set appropriate boundaries
- Increase their assertive communication skills.
To read more about the program, visit this link.
For any questions or to book a spot in one of our groups or programs, please contact us at groupprograms@carriesplace.org.au or call us on (02) 4934 2585.
Carrie’s Place programs operate on school terms. This program runs once per term for 8 weeks (2 hours per week).
Inner Strengths
This program educates women on recognising abuse, its effects, and self-care strategies after experiencing domestic and family violence.
Inner Strengths is a 6-week program for women and non-binary people who have experienced domestic and family violence. This group helps participants to understand:
- Gender stereotypes, myths, and beliefs
- The different types of abuse
- The effects of domestic and family violence on children
- Mental well-being and self-care.
For any questions or to book a spot in one of our groups or programs, please contact us at groupprograms@carriesplace.org.au or call us on (02) 4934 2585.
Carrie’s Place programs operate on school terms. This program runs once per term for 6 weeks (2 hours per week).
Love Bites
This program facilitated by Carrie's Place, aims to educate teenagers in Hunter Valley high schools on relationships and domestic violence.
Love Bites is a one-day program for teenagers ran throughout high schools in the Hunter Valley. This program is facilitated by Carrie’s Place in partnership with a range of youth, community, and government services. This group:
- Provides young people with a safe environment to talk about domestic violence, sex, and relationships
- Aims to challenge gender stereotypes, attitudes, and myths the exist in local communities that perpetuate male violence against women
- Taps into the young person’s creative abilities by developing youth-led community campaigns on the issue of intimate partner violence.
To read more about the program, visit this link.
For any questions or to book a spot in one of our groups or programs, please contact us at groupprograms@carriesplace.org.au or call us on (02) 4934 2585.
Your Story is Your Superpower
Led by author Jas Rawlinson, this workshop helps DV survivors craft their experiences into powerful stories, providing personal writing guidance and a chance to connect with others.
Your Story is Your Superpower is a 1 day (4 hour) writing workshop for women and non-binary people who have lived experience of domestic and family violence. It is hosted by best-selling author and domestic and family violence victim-survivor, Jas Rawlinson. The workshop:
- Outlines the impact of finding your own voice and hearing that of others
- Promotes healing and empowerment through storytelling
- Provides support and coaching for participants to begin their own writing journey.
To read more about the program, visit this link.
For any questions or to book a spot in one of our groups or programs, please contact us at groupprograms@carriesplace.org.au or call us on (02) 4934 2585.
This program typically runs every 6 – 12 months.
Reclaiming My Place
An arts-based program designed for women impacted by gender-based violence, aimed at fostering creativity, studying opportunities, and building confidence.
Reclaiming My Place is 8-week arts-based program for women and non-binary people who have experienced gender-based violence. Participants do not need to be experienced artist and can engage in the creative process in a way that suits them. It is hosted by artist Felicity Cocuzzoli. This group assists participants to:
- Under the guidance of a professional artist, try out different artistic activities including acrylic painting, mandalas, mixed media collages and water colours
- Explore their creativity
- Identify other opportunities for lifelong learning, including the possibility of study.
To read more about the program, visit this link.
For any questions or to book a spot in one of our groups or programs, please contact us at groupprograms@carriesplace.org.au or call us on (02) 4934 2585.
Pathways to Empowerment
This program supports women impacted by domestic abuse, providing a safe space to reconnect, set goals, and discover pathways to education and employment.
Pathways to Empowerment is a 9-week program for women and non-binary people who have been impacted by or are recovering from domestic and family violence. This group assists participants to:
- Reconnect with themselves and others in a safe, supportive, and non-judgmental space
- Develop long-term goals for their future
- Discover pathways to education, training, and employment
- Engage with a financial counsellor.
To read more about the program, visit this link.
For any questions or to book a spot in one of our groups or programs, please contact us at groupprograms@carriesplace.org.au or call us on (02) 4934 2585.
Runs every 12 months. 2 hour introductory session in week 1, followed by a 9-week program (4 hours per week).
Parenting Programs
Circle of Security
This program equips women with skills to understand and meet their children's emotional needs, manage emotions, and strengthen parent-child relationships.
Circle of Security is a 6-week program for women and non-binary people who are parents/carers for children aged 0-6. This group assists participants to:
- Understand their child’s emotional world by learning to read their emotional needs
- Support their child’s ability to successfully manage emotions
- Enhance the development of their child’s self-esteem
- Honour their innate wisdom and desire for your child to be secure.
To read more about the program, visit this link.
For any questions or to book a spot in one of our groups or programs, please contact us at groupprograms@carriesplace.org.au or call us on (02) 4934 2585.
Carrie’s Place programs operate on school terms. This program runs once per term for 6 weeks (2 hours per week).
Indigenous Triple P
A program for Indigenous women, with a focus on learning positive parenting techniques, understanding child behaviour, and effective management.
Indigenous Triple P is a 3-day program for Indigenous women and non-binary people who are parents/carers for children up to 12-years. This group assists participants to:
- Learn about positive parenting and the strategies behind it
- Identify the influences on a child’s behaviour
- Understand how to encourage good behaviour and develop strategies to manage difficult behaviour.
For any questions or to book a spot in one of our groups or programs, please contact us at groupprograms@carriesplace.org.au or call us on (02) 4934 2585.
Carrie’s Place programs operate on school terms. This program runs 3 x 4 hours sessions over 2 weeks and runs once per term.
Black Box
This program is for women with a history of abuse, focusing on reparative parenting techniques and enhancing attachment through guided activities.
Black Box is a 5-week program for women and non-binary people who are parents/carers and have experienced abuse, neglect, or violence. Participants must also have their children in their care or have regular visitation and be willing to trial new parenting techniques. This group assists participants to:
- Identify the importance of predictability in Reparative Parenting
- Learn about a child’s brain development and the evolution of the flight, fright, freeze response
- Engage in Special Play with their children to repair the attachment bond and be supported by a facilitator to do so
- Discuss remorse, guilt, and shame and what makes a good apology
- Analyse the arousal graph and identify how to tailor behaviour management strategies to this graph.
To read more about the program, visit this link.
For any questions or to book a spot in one of our groups or programs, please contact us at groupprograms@carriesplace.org.au or call us on (02) 4934 2585.
Carrie’s Place programs operate on school terms. This program runs once per term for 5 weeks (2 hours per week).
Bringing Up
Great Kids
This 6-week program helps women understand their own parenting styles, learn about child brain development, and adopt more effective and respectful parenting techniques.
Bringing Up Great Kids is a 6-week program for women and non-binary people who are parents/carers. This group assists participants to:
- Learn more about the origins of their own parenting style and how it can be more effective
- Understand brain development in children and its influence on their thoughts, feelings, and behaviours
- Identify how to overcome obstacles preventing them from becoming the kind of parents they want to be.
To read more about the program, visit this link.
For any questions or to book a spot in one of our groups or programs, please contact us at groupprograms@carriesplace.org.au or call us on (02) 4934 2585.
Carrie’s Place programs operate on school terms. This program runs once per term for 6 weeks (2 hours per week).
Bringing Up Great Kids After Domestic Violence
This program is for women impacted by family violence, focusing on rebuilding trust and restoring playfulness in relationships with their children.
Bringing Up Great Kids after Domestic and Family Violence is for women and non-binary people who are parents/carers and have been impacted by or are recovering from domestic and family violence. This group assists participants to:
- Rebuild trust with their children and others that may have been jeporadised by the violence
- Respond to secrecy which may have accompanied the violence
- Resource playfulness and fun back in relationships.
To read more about the program, visit this link.
For any questions or to book a spot in one of our groups or programs, please contact us at groupprograms@carriesplace.org.au or call us on (02) 4934 2585.
Carrie’s Place programs operate on school terms. This program runs once per term for 6 weeks (2 hours per week).
Health & Wellbeing Programs
Cooking for Success
This program teaches women who have experienced homelessness or DV how to prepare healthy, budget-friendly meals using basic pantry staples and equipment.
Cooking for Success is a 6 week program for women who've experienced homelessness and/or domestic violence. This program will assistant participants to:
- Identify appropriate and healthy meals for themselves and their families within a certain budget
- Learn how to cook nutritious meals using pantry staples and limited cooking equipment and utensils
- Enjoy a meal with other women in a safe and supportive environment.
For any questions or to book a spot in one of our groups or programs, please contact us at groupprograms@carriesplace.org.au or call us on (02) 4934 2585.
Carrie’s Place programs operate on school terms. This program runs once per term for 6 weeks (2.5 hours per week).
Wellbeing Sistas
This program is for ATSI women and fosters community engagement, cultural reconnection, access to culturally safe health services, and understanding of DV impacts.
Wellbeing Sistas is a 10 week program for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women. This program will assistant participants to:
- Engage with other women within their local community in a safe and positive way
- Empower participants to access health and community services that meet their culture safety needs
- Reconnect with their cultural and identity through visits to significant local land marks and participation in relevant events
- Understand domestic violence and impacts on themselves, their families and the wider community.
For any questions or to book a spot in one of our groups or programs, please contact us at groupprograms@carriesplace.org.au or call us on (02) 4934 2585.
Carrie’s Place programs operate on school terms. This program runs once per term for 10 weeks (4 hours per week).
Rent It Keep It
This program improves rental success and stability for at-risk tenants by educating them on their rights and connecting them with essential financial and housing services.
Rent it Keep It (RIKI) is a 4-hour program for people struggling to secure a tenancy, or whose tenancy is at risk. This program will assist participants to:
- Increase their chances of successfully securing a rental tenancy and maintaining this
- Understand their rights and responsibilities as a tenant
- Gain a recognised Certificate of Completion to add to your private rental applications
- Connect with other services including a financial counsellor, the Hunter Tenants Advice and Advocacy Service and a local Real Estate.
To read more about the program, visit this link.
For any questions or to book a spot in one of our groups or programs, please contact us at groupprograms@carriesplace.org.au or call us on (02) 4934 2585.
Carrie’s Place programs operate on school terms. This program runs once per term for a one off 4 hour session.